Expert backs French claims

Thursday 11 January 2001 00:00 BST

A leading medical expert has added to the allegations of drug taking in French rugby with claims that it was "common practice" to give international players amphetamines before Five Nations matches during the 70s and 80s.

Earlier this week former national coach Pierre Berbizier spoke out against alleged drug abuse in the French game.

He claimed drugs had become a "reality" in rugby in France, an allegation refuted by Serge Blanco, Berbizier's former team-mate and now president of the French National League.

However, Dr Jean-Pierre de Mondenard, author of several books on drug-taking in sport, said: "An international confirmed that the use of amphetamines was a common occurrence during the 70s and 80s."